HUD Helps Harlem's Veterans at 3rd Annual Resource Fair

Henry Comas, Senior Management Analyst, and Earleene Sealy, Senior Management Analyst, talk with a veteran at HUD's resource table.

Amy Ginger, Director of Voucher Programs, poses for a picture with State Senator Bill Perkins, and panelists.

Amy Ginger, Director of Voucher Programs, delivers the keynote address.

President Obama recently announced that veterans homelessness is down by 47% since 2010--a stunning success that means there are over 40,000 fewer homeless veterans today than six years ago. Yet notwithstanding this progress, HUD and our local partners recognize that there are still many veterans in need of assistance. When New York State Senator Bill Perkins organized a Veterans Resource Fair in Harlem to provide area veterans with information and resources about available services and support, HUD was honored to participate. Representative and Korean War Veteran Charles Rangel delivered opening remarks.

Amy Ginger, HUD's Director of Housing Voucher Programs, delivered the keynote address at the conference, delivering the assembled service providers and veterans with information about HUD's role in tackling veterans homelessness through Opening Doors and the Mayors Challenge, and highlighting the success of the initiative in New York City. Veterans homelessness is down by 90% within the five boroughs, a result of sustained federal investment combined with local policy priorities and innovations by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) (www.nyc.gov/nycha), the New York City Department of Veterans Services (www.nyc.gov/veterans), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (www.nyc.gov/hpd), and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers at New York Harbor and in the Bronx. HUD provided more than 3,200 housing vouchers targeted to veterans through the HUD-VASH program, which pairs rental subsidies with comprehensive case management services from the VA.

Director Ginger laid out the federal criteria and benchmarks for ending veterans homelessness, noting that New York had successfully eliminated chronic veterans homelessness in 2015, an important milestone on the way to housing all homeless veterans. She discussed in detail the innovative solutions New York has used to achieve such great results, including a model negotiated between NYCHA and the Volunteers of America that provide supportive housing through the federal Grant Per Diem (GPD) program. Under the agreement, 127 supportive housing units funded through GPD received project-based Section 8 vouchers from NYCHA with month-to-month contracts. This allowed for quick lease-up to homeless veterans as well as flexibility and housing choices to the veterans housed. It also reduced the shelter burden on New York City, and provided VOA with a more steady revenue stream.

HUD staff from the Office of Field and Policy Management also set up an information table at the event to provide attendees with localized information about affordable housing and other resources. Learn more about the Mayors Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness and HUD-VASH on HUD's website and the New York City Department of Veterans Services (www.nyc.gov/veterans).

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